Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-16
PERILS IN NEW YORK.
why So Many Persons are Re-
ported Missing I'm That City.

why So Many Persons are Re.
ported Missing I'm That City.
"What becomes of the people who
are reported as missing?" an old de-
tective was asked by reporter at police
headquarters.
"Well, that is a hard question to
answer. Some leave the country 10 es-
cape their families and others are killed
in dives about the CITY,"
"Do many return after several years?"
"Yes, l have known of cases where
people have been missing for twenty
| five years, where there wives have mar
ried again, aud they have returned to
surprise mnch more than delight those
who at first mourned their loss. How
some people disappear was explained to
me several years ago in a case which
never became public. A young man
who was studying for the clergy was
standing one night in front of Wallack s
Theatre, waiting for the time when the
performance should begin, when young
girl, shivering in a thin dress and shawl,
which scarcely covered her shoulders,
touched him on the arm and begged him
for Gods sake to give her some money.
as her mother was starving, and she had
no means by which to obtain food for
her. The gentleman told the girl that it
was against rule he had made ever to
give money to people on the street. The
girl looked at him with pitiful express
sion and begged him, if he did not be-
lieve her story, to come to the house
where she lived, which was not far away,
and see for himself if the story she had
told him of the starvation and want OF
her family was not true. Touched by
the girls pathetic look, the young man
decided to follow her. She took him
around the corner of Thirteenth street,
nearly to Avenue A, to house with no
blinds in the windows, with shutters
tumbling from their fas Jennings, and with
battered front door. She took him up
one flight of stairs to room which was
utterly bare of furniture, except one
broken down bed, which stood in cor
ner. On mantle piece sputtered tai.
low candle, which only gave light
enough to show the deep darkness of
the corners.
"She told him she would 60 into the
next room and tell her mother that
kind stranger had come to see her.
While she was going she asked him to
sit on the bed, which was the only seat
she had to offer. The young man, hor.
rified at such poverty, and never think
ing of any evil results to himself, seated
himself on the edge of the bed. Scarce.
ly had he done SO when two arms
reached out from under it and seized
him by the legs. With all his force he
could not keep himself from being
dragged under. He threw himself back
and attempted to grasp the edge OF the
bed, but in the position in which he
was he co-ld do nothing. Slowly but
surely he felt himself being dragged
downwards by the powerful arms. As
his hand slipped from one hold in the
bed to the other, they happened to touch
the heavy walking-stick which he
carried. As last resort he
seized the cane, and with all
his strength thrust it under the
bed. The heavy iron ferrule with which
the end of the cane was loaded came in
contact with something soft. A horrible
curse filled the room. With desperate
energy the young man again and again
thrust the cane into the darkness under
the bed. Slowly the vise-like grip of
the hands which heldsh legs relaxed.
He made one final and desperate effort
and found himself free. He rushed
downstairs and from the house. When
he reached the corner he thought that,
disheveled and hatless as he was, it was
impossible for him to go home. Seeing
a policeman on the next block he went
to him and told him of the experience
he had had. The officer laughed at him
and insinuated that he had better 60
home and take nothing more to drink.
But when he found the young man was
really in earnest he called for help and
at once returned to the house which the
young man pointed out as the one in
which he had been assaulted. When
they knocked at the deor it was opened
by a man who had every appearance of
lust having been awakened from a sound
sleep. The young man insisted on going
upstairs, and, followed by the police,
be rushed up an into the room which
he had lately left. In it there was
nothing he could recognize or identify.
A carpet covered the floor, pictures were
hanging on the walls, piano stood In
one corner, and every thing looked as if
it had been recently occupied by a
woman of refined tastes. The young
man was astounded by the change and
tried to explain that he must have got
into the wrong house. The police re-
turned to their original theory that the
young man had been drinking and again
advised him to go home.
There Is no question in my mind
that if the young man had not been sue
cessful in breaking away from the grip
of the man who held him from under
the bed another unknown body with
nothing to identify it would have been
found in the river and would have been
buried in the potter's field, unknown
and uncared for, while another one of
those mysterious disappearance which
so often thrill the New York public
would have had its nine days run of
wonder and then have been forgotten"
"Did you ever hear anything more of
this case?'
"Yes. Only few days ago the same
young man who had told me of his ex-
perience of four years ago met me- and
| asked him if he had ever, while wan
dering through the streets of New York.
seen any body whom he could recognize
as the poorly. clad girl who had led him
into the house. Once, he said. only a
few weeks ago, while walking up Broad
way, he had seen girl beautifully
dressed, and with every appearance of
wealth about her, but with the same
unmistakable pathetic look in her eyes.
He started when he saw her, and he
thought that an imperceptible change
came over her face. With her was a
man, handsome, well.dressed, but with
horrible SCARED forehead. Deep
grooves ran from the edge of his hat
down into one eye, which was evidently
a glass one. The couple passed him,
and with them passed the last vestige
Of an incident which nearly cost the
young man his life, and the city one of
its ablest clergymen. IN. Y. Mail and